Larry Scott began his tenure as commissioner of the Pac-12 in July ā09.
Lacking a professional background in college sports and coming straight from the Womenās Tennis Association, he was an unconventional hire.
Much of what has unfolded since then qualifies as unconventional, as well.
Scott¶¶Ņõap decade in charge of the conference has produced highs and lows, frustration, elation, anxiety, backlash, resounding successes, utter embarrassments, policy wins and procedural missteps.
It has been everything ā¦ everything ā¦ except uneventful.
And in our forthcoming series on Scott, the Hotline plans to take a granular look at his every move, his every comment, his every action and inaction, over the course of a decade that has felt, at times, like three decades.
Just kidding: Plowed ground is not the focus of this series.
Instead, the goal is to shed new light on familiar topics and provide fresh insight on issues central to the future of the conference, using Scott¶¶Ņõap decade as the vehicle to that end.
Iāve chosen this approach because Scott¶¶Ņõap tenure possesses a three-in-one feel:
— The early years of big changes and glowing reviews;
— The middle years of minor changes and major frustration;
— The later years of pivoting for the future.
Weāll roll out the content in rapid-fire fashion over the course of the next week:
Part 1: The education of Larry Scott.
Learning from his mistakes, shifting his management style and addressing his future (with comments from the presidential level).
Part 2: Scott as youāve never heard him.
ott discussed his tenure and key issues facing the conference in an hour-long conversation filled with insight, candor and self-reflection. (The conversation will be summarized in a column and published in full in an accompanying podcast.)
Part 3: The hits and misses.
Youāve heard of the baseball metric WAR (Wins Above Replacement) that¶¶Ņõap used for judging a playerās contribution? The Hotline will examine Scott¶¶Ņõap tenure using our own metric: CAR (Commissioner Above Replacement).
Part 4: The future shape.
The conference had 10 members when Scott took charge in 2009 and has 12 members in 2019. How many will there be in 2029? I asked Scott about it, along with some of the smartest minds in the college sports.
Hopefully, that wonāt be all: I have tentative plans for installments No. 5 and 6, as well, perhaps featuring a special guest.
When appropriate during the series, weāll include links to previous Hotline articles to provide context on a particular topic.
But as always, feel free to email me at the address below.
Thereās only one way to guarantee access to the full series and every other shred of Hotline content — and that¶¶Ņõap to subscribe.
We have a monthly offer available (cancel anytime), as well, if youāre interested in Hotline access for the remainder of the football season.
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